Falling Stars: Unforgettable Players, Forgettable Teams. American League Edition

With the last few high-profile free agents continuing to sign, we are getting a pretty good idea of what clubs will like heading into Spring training in a couple of weeks. Big names like Alex Bregman, Dylan Cease, Kyle Tucker, and Edwin Diaz will look to cement their superstar status with a whole new ballclub. It's becoming increasingly rare to see a star player spend their entire career with one team. Since the birth of modern free agency, it's common to see a player cement themselves as a fan favorite for multiple teams throughout their career. In today’s game, franchise legends change teams more than they ever did before. In recent years, we’ve seen Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani install themselves in Dodgers lore. This is after each of them obtained superstar status with their previous teams. 

As frequent as it is to see a player win over multiple fanbases, it’s also common to see a star play on a team for a short period of time. This could be due to a midseason trade, or they might try to latch onto a random team at the end of their career to prove they still got it. What I am going to cover here are star players who had a stint on a team that you might have forgotten about. To make this list, a player must have built a notable reputation with at least one club, only to spend time somewhere else in a mediocre fashion. One full season or less with the team is required as well (2020 or later), meaning we won’t be counting someone like Jose Abreu, who was downright awful in Houston after winning an MVP, amongst other accolades, with the White Sox. Also, Rich Hill will not be appearing here, as his resume deserves its own article. Now that the rules are set, let's reminisce.

To read our National League list, click here.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles: SP Matt Harvey (2021)

Harvey could have appeared somewhere else on this list, but he makes the most sense here because even I, a prestigious baseball writer, had no idea Harvey made 28 starts for the 2021 Orioles. His 127 2/3 innings pitched were not enough for him to qualify for the highest ERA in baseball, but his season was sure trending that way as he finished with a 6.27 ERA. To be fair, nobody the Orioles tried to use as a starter fared much better. John Means was the only starter with at least 10 starts with an ERA under 5.00. The Orioles actually had four other starters finish with ERAs above 6.00, including now-relievers Jorge Lopez and Keegan Akin, and then Dean Kremer and Spenser Watkins. A few different teams have taken a flier on the former Mets ace, with his best post-Mets season being with the Reds in 2018, where he had a 4.50 ERA. 

Honorable Mention(s): SP Jack Flaherty (2021), CP Craig Kimbrel (2024), DH Eloy Jimenez (2024), SP Charlie Morton (2025)

Boston Red Sox: 1B Eric Hosmer (2022)

Hosmer gets the special honor of being the only player on this list twice, but how much honor that is is debatable. Hosmer will never have to buy another beer in the Kansas City area for the rest of his life, but the wheels came off shortly after. After the 2017 season, in which he hit for a career high .318 batting average, he signed an eight-year deal with the Padres that looked smart in the beginning, but quickly proved otherwise. Famously, Hosmer held up the Juan Soto to San Diego trade with his refusal to go to Washington in the return package. Luckily for the Padres, he did not waive his no-trade clause to go to Boston. Hosmer spent the rest of the season as Boston’s primary first baseman, but missed about a month with a back issue. Overall, Hosmer hit .244/.320/.311 across 50 at-bats, while hitting zero home runs. He was designated for assignment that offseason with three more years left on the eight-year deal he signed prior to 2018.

Honorable Mention: RP Liam Hendriks (2025)

New York Yankees: IF/OF Matt Carpenter (2022) 

It looked like the end of the road for Carpenter after hitting sub .200 in his last two years as a Cardinal, where he was a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, hopping between first, second, and third base. Carpenter had to settle for a minor league contract with the Rangers entering the 2022 season, but the 36-year-old did not make the Opening Day roster and was released in May. That same week, the Yankees called and brought him in on another minor league deal. He made his debut weeks later and instantly turned back the clock. He became the first Yankee to hit six or more home runs within his first 10 games with the team, and tied his career high in RBIs in a single game with seven. He also learned to play outfield and was used as a utility man, starting games in RF, LF, 1B, and 3B. Carpenter hit .305 with a 1.138 OPS in 154 plate appearances, while leaving the yard 15 times. He came back down to Earth immediately next season, but was one of the more unexpected heroes of the 2022 Yankees.

Honorable Mention: OF/DH Jay Bruce (2021)

Tampa Bay Rays: DH Nelson Cruz (2021)

Cruz was named an All-Star for the Twins during his age-40 season, smashing 19 homers before being traded to the Rays for a package including starter Joe Ryan. His 55 games with the Rays, however, made it apparent that Father Time was tapping The Boomstick on the shoulder. He did hit another 13 homers in 55 games, but his batting average fell to .226, after hitting .294 with Minnesota before the trade. This marked the last time Cruz would return to the postseason, albeit unceremoniously, as he went 3-17 in the series loss to the Red Sox.  

Honorable Mention: None

Toronto Blue Jays: 1B Brandon Belt (2023)

You're going to see a lot of good players with bad seasons on this list, but this is not one of them. After 12 seasons, two World Series rings, and 28 WAR with the Giants, Belt took his talents north of the border. Mainly serving as a platoon option against right-handed hitters, he put up 2.0 WAR while slashing .254/.369/.490 with 19 home runs in only 103 games. Belt only surpassed 20 home runs once in his career, 29 in 2021, but he likely would have reached that number in what would turn out to be his final MLB season if he had just gotten a little more playing time. Surprisingly, Belt received little interest from other teams following his lone season in Toronto. He is not technically retired, so maybe he is waiting another three seasons, a la Phillip Rivers, and then returns, but it's fair to assume his career is over.

Honorable Mentions: RP Sergio Romo (2022), 1B Justin Turner (2024)

American League Central

Chicago White Sox: DH Edwin Encarnacion (2020) 

It was hard not to choose SP Johnny Cueto for this spot, as he had a brief renaissance season with the White Sox in 2023, but the Pale Hose have a reputation for signing past their prime sluggers, so Edwin is the obvious choice. Although, does it really count if a fan never got to see Encarnacion in a Sox uniform at a game? Yes, Encarnacion is our first player on this list from the 60-game COVID season. In 181 plate appearances, Encarnacion managed to hit 10 of 424 career home runs, but hit for an abysmal .157 batting average while striking out in nearly a third of his at-bats. He did not play again in the majors. He will be up for HOF voting next season and should have enough votes to stick around on the ballot for a few years.

Honorable Mentions: Cueto (2023), CP Craig Kimbrel (2021), SP Gio Gonzalez (2020)

Cleveland Guardians: SP Lucas Giolito (2023)

2023 was a weird season for Giolito. He was supposed to be one of the rotation anchors for a White Sox team aspiring to return to the playoffs after a down 2022. Little predicted the absolute downfall the team would face that season, leading them to start tearing down their core. Giolito, along with Reynaldo Lopez, was shipped to the Angels as part of their last chance to get Ohtani to the playoffs. Giolito, in fact, did not help Ohtani get to the playoffs with his 6.89 ERA in six starts as an Angel. On August 31st, he was claimed by Cleveland off waivers (along with Lopez, again) to try to help them make a last-second playoff push. In his six Guardians starts, he had an ERA of 7.04. That season, he became the first pitcher ever to have a start in which he was tagged for eight earned runs across three different teams. Woof.

Honorable Mentions: 1B Josh Bell (2023), C Wilson Ramos (2021)

Detroit Tigers: SP Charlie Morton (2025) 

Even though this just happened this past summer, Morton’s Tiger tenure largely went unnoticed by anyone outside of devout Tiger fans. The 41-year-old made nine starts for Detroit after starting the year in Baltimore. His 7.09 ERA certainly contributed to the Tigers’ historic late-season slide, where they ended up handing the division to the Guardians. The Tigers ended up cutting their losses with Morton at the end of September by designating him for assignment. He caught on with the lowly Braves for one final appearance, which seems destined to be his last. He did crack the record books during his time in the Motor City. He hit his 200th batter, becoming the fifth player in MLB history to achieve that milestone. 

Honorable Mentions:  There really aren’t any former stars who qualify, but did you know former Astros starter Jose Urquidy pitched for the Tigers in 2025?

Kansas City Royals: 1B Yuli Gurriel (2024)

Some might think CP Aroldis Chapman should belong here, but his brief Royals tenure had some pretty significant effects, so his time was memorable. His early-season trade to the Rangers helped propel the Rangers to a World Series victory and netted the Royals their ace, Cole Ragans. So this spot belongs to the 2021 AL batting champion, Yuli Gurriel, who was traded to the Royals late in 2024 from the Braves, where he spent the entire season in the minors. Budding star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was lost to injury for the remainder of the season in late August, giving the Royals a need for a first baseman. Gurriel hit .241 in 65 plate appearances during the regular season, but fell below the Mendoza line in the playoffs, going 4-21 with three walks as the Yankees eliminated the Royals in the division series. Oh, what could have been, if Vinnie hadn’t gotten hurt.

Honorable Mentions: Chapman (2023), SP Matt Harvey (2020)

Minnesota Twins: SP Chris Archer (2022)

Archer became the next hot starter in Tampa Bay after the departure of David Price. He was their Opening Day starter four times in his first seven seasons in Tampa. Then, he was flipped to Pittsburgh for a haul that included top prospects Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow, along with a PTBNL who turned out to be Shane Baz. Archer’s dependability and durability, which he showcased in Tampa, did not carry over to Pittsburgh, where he was ineffective and injured for most of his season-and-a-half there. He signed with the non-competitive Twins before 2022, looking for an opportunity to show he still has it at 33 (which isn’t that old). In 102 2/3 innings, Archer had a 4.56 ERA and a 2-8 record. Archer has not officially retired from baseball, even though he took an assistant role in the Dodgers organization in 2023.

Honorable Mentions: SP Dallas Keuchel (2023), C Gary Sanchez (2022), SS Andrelton Simmons (2021)

American League West

Houston Astros: RP Craig Kimbrel (2025)

Kimbrel has come up enough here as an honorable mention, but his 2025 tenure with the Astros is what makes this list official. Kimbrel returned to where it all started for him, Atlanta, on a minor league deal for 2025. He was cut a day after making his first appearance of the year in what seemed like a questionable move for a team that is not contending to do to a player who has done so much as a Brave. It looked like that would be the end of the line for him until the Astros called late in the season. He never got a chance to save a game, which makes the Astros the only team he has played for where he has not notched a save, but he did put up a 2.45 ERA across 11 innings. This was enough for him to earn another minor league deal for 2026, this time with the Mets.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jason Heyward (2024), 1B Trey Mancini (2022)

Los Angeles Angels: Various

It is simply too hard to narrow down one player for the Angels. General manager Perry Minasian has had one job since he got the job in 2020: get Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to the playoffs. We’ve gotten to see playoff Ohtani, but in blue and white instead of red and white. There is still time to get Trout to the playoffs for his first time since his rookie year, but he’s no longer the force that can drive them there. The Angels consistently have one of the worst farm systems in the game, so Minasian has taken to signing random veterans who were good at one point to one-year prove-it deals. I mentioned Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez’s brief time with the Angels earlier, but here is a list of former impact players who played in 31 games or less with the Angels since 2020: SS Tim Anderson (31 games), DH Miguel Sano (29 games) OF Adam Eaton (25 games), SP Jose Quintana (24 games), SP Noah Syndergaard (15 games), OF Dexter Fowler (7 games). The Angels have not finished with a record above .500 since Minasian took over as GM. 

Sacramento Athletics: RP Sergio Romo (2021)

Romo is one of the rare Giants who were on all three of their championship teams from 2010 to 2014, during which he was part of the “fear the beard” tandem with closer Brian Wilson. Like many relievers, he bounced around quite a bit toward the end of his career, and his time with the A’s was the last time he was a dependable reliever for the length of the season. Dependable, in this case, means durability rather than effectiveness, as Romo played in 66 games but posted a 4.67 ERA, the second-highest of his career. He played again in 2022, splitting time between the Mariners and Blue Jays, but he threw only 18 total innings. He wrapped up his 15-year career with a 3.21 ERA and a 10.1 WAR.

Honorable Mentions: RP Jeurys Familia (2023), RP Jared Koenig (2022)

Seattle Mariners: OF Justin Upton (2022)

The 2005 number one overall pick did not quite live up to expectations, but that’s because expectations for Upton were as high as anyone in the game. The four-time All-Star made his debut at 19 for the Diamondbacks, making two All-Star teams and hitting 108 home runs during his six-year tenure in the desert. He made his third All-Star team during his only year in San Diego in 2015, and his fourth and final selection came with the Tigers in 2017, a year they inked him to a six-year deal. He was traded to the Angels in August of 2017 in a trade that was meant to add protection to Mike Trout in the middle of their order. He produced a 3.7 WAR, 30-homer season during his first full season in LA, but after that, he had three straight seasons with negative WAR, where he barely played due to a slew of injuries. The Angels DFA’d him early in the 2022 season, where he caught on with the Mariners for 17 games. By this point, it was clear the 34-year-old couldn’t handle major league pitching anymore. He went 6-48 (.125) before he was optioned to Triple-A, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent. This was the last time Upton was part of a Major League organization. 

Honorable Mentions: 1B Justin Turner (2024),  OF AJ Pollock (2023)

Texas Rangers: SP Dallas Keuchel (2022) 

Prior to the 2020 season, the Rangers infamously traded for SP Corey Kluber, who threw one inning before winding up on the injured list for the remainder of the year. This trade netted Cleveland All-Star closer and renowned gambler Emmanuel Clase, and looked like an immediate L for Texas. Though very brief, Kluber’s time in Texas goes down as one of the more famous blunders of recent memory. In 2022, the Rangers employed another former Cy Young winner, southpaw Dallas Keuchel. He began the season with the White Sox, in what was to be the final year of the three-year deal he signed in December of 2019. After posting a 7.88 ERA in eight starts in Chicago, things got worse after he was scooped up by Arizona, where he had a 9.64 ERA in four starts. He made two starts with the Rangers, getting rocked for seven runs in each of them. Shockingly, teams wanted to keep giving the two-time All-Star the benefit of the doubt, because he pitched briefly with the Twins in 2023 and the Brewers in 2024 before going to Japan. The Royals signed him to an MiLB deal in 2025, but he did not crack the roster. 

Honorable Mentions: Kluber, DH Khris Davis (2021), 3B Todd Frazier (2020)